Alan Thomas was born in Atlanta, and began his guitar studies with Gus Toole and John Sutherland, before going on to earn the Master of Music degree under the direction of Ernesto Bitetti at Indiana University. A research fellowship at the University of California at San Diego enabled him to carry out additional studies with Scott Tennant, bassist Bert Turetzky and the composer Brian Ferneyhough.
Relocating to England in 1997, he quickly established himself as one of Europe's foremost new music soloists and ensemble players following his first-prize win at the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in Holland (becoming the only guitarist ever to take the top prize). Since then he has pursued an active career as a recitalist and concerto soloist, performing in the U.K., Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Bulgaria, Turkey and the USA, both in concert series and international festivals including the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh Festival, Spitalfields (London), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Archipel (Switzerland), Bath Guitar Festival, Rotterdam Music Biennial, Oxford Contemporary Music Festival, New Music Nights (Bratislava), Electric Spring (Huddersfield), Gaudeamus Festival, Ultima (Oslo), GAS (Gothenberg), Witten New Music Days, Berlin Festival, Voix Nouvelles (Royaumont), York Late Music Festival, Brighton Festival, Hoxton New Music Days, Cheltenham Festival and the Guitar Foundation of America Festival. As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the Nieuw Ensemble, Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Exposé, Kantak, the Helix Ensemble and the University of Leicester Sinfonia.
In addition to winning the the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition, Alan has also been a top-prize winner in the Guitar Foundation of America and MTNA competitions. In 1995, as winner of the American Artistic Ambassador Competition, he toured throughout Turkey, Latvia, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Armenia under the auspices of the U. S. Information Agency, performing recitals and with orchestra and teaching masterclasses throughout the region.
Particularly dedicated to contemporary music, Alan Thomas has given world premières of over forty works written especially for him, including concerti by Gabriel Erkoreka and Gerardo Dirié and solo/chamber pieces by Ed Bennett, Donald Bousted, Laurence Crane, Paul Davies, Gabriel Erkoreka, Michael Finnissy, Christopher Fox, Bryn Harrison, Petros Ovsepyan, Alwynne Pritchard and Ian Willcock. He has performed and recorded with many of the world's leading contemporary music groups, including Apartment House, Ensemble Exposé, Endymion, Gemini, Topologies, Lontano, Ensemble Corrente and Ixion. In recognition of his achievements in the contemporary solo arena, he was recently invited by Rolf Hind to play a recital for the spnm's prestigious "Solo Spotlights" series.
His performances have been frequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio France, as well as on television and radio throughout Europe and the United States. He has recorded over twenty solo and ensemble CDs on the Accord, Metier, NMC, Matchless Records and Vivi Records labels, including most recently a 2-CD set of his arrangements of Lennon/McCartney compositions, The Long and Winding Road.
In addition to teaching masterclasses at conservatoires and festivals throughout the world, Alan has taught at the University of California and Trinity College of Music, and is currently on the music faculties of the University of York and Loughborough Music School. He is an external examiner at both Leeds College of Music and the University of Huddersfield, and is regularly invited to sit on performance and composition competition juries. He also does a limited amount of private teaching of guitar, composition and theory--click for more info.
Alan is also active as a composer, focussing on solo and ensemble works for guitar. His pieces have been performed at festivals including Soundwaves (Brighton), Bath Guitar Festival, Chester Festival, American National Flute Association, Adur Festival, Guitar Art (Serbia) and the Beijing Festival. Recent commissions include pieces for the Cavatina Duo and the British BMG Federation. In 2010 he was featured composer at the Guitar Art Festival, where the Cavatina Duo premiered his Concerto for Flute and Guitar. For more details please visit the compositions page.
For bookings or further information please don't hesitate to contact Alan by email.
For CD orders please see the Recordings page.